Teaching Awards 2025
February 2025
Students and lecturers of the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy are invited to nominate outstanding lecture courses for one of the two Teaching Awards 2025. Both self-nominations and third-party nominations (by three or more students) are possible. The two award winners - one from Directorate of Studies 28 (Astronomy, Earth Sciences and Meteorology) and one from Directorate of Studies 29 (Geography) - will each receive 3000 euros.
The Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy is organising the Teaching Award for excellent teaching for the first time in 2025. We would like to honour innovative and successful courses and make them visible. A total of two teaching awards will be presented to individual lecturers or teaching teams for courses that have already been held.
Student teams, students' representatives, and teachers are cordially invited to nominate courses that they consider to be outstanding by 16 April 2025.
Two teaching prizes will be awarded - one for Geography (Study Programme 29) and one in the field of Astronomy, Earth Sciences or Meteorology (Study Programme 28), each endowed with 3000 euros.
Depending on the subject area, the prize will focus on different topics:
Teaching Award focus varies depending on degree programme
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Geography (SPL 29): Guiding and supporting self-study
In the study programme 29 (Geography), courses are awarded that support students in particular in the preparation and follow-up of the course units and thus promote continuous and in-depth learning processes.
Criteria:
- Interlinking of self-study and attendance units
- Activating teaching methods with problem-orientated tasks
- Interactive teaching methods as well as online and on-site discussion and communication formats
- Clear tasks and work assignments
- Use of digital teaching/learning materials
- Guided peer learning to build learning communities and social relationships
- Teaching of learning strategies for the self-study phases
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Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Meteorology (SPL 28): Teaching - Examination - Feedback: well coordinated
Within the study programme 28 (Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Meteorology), we look for courses in which study objectives, teaching/learning methods, examination design and feedback are well coordinated.
Criteria:
- The study objectives are clearly defined, take into account curricular requirements and are communicated transparently to the students.
- The teaching/learning methods used offer meaningful learning opportunities for students to acquire the desired competences over the course of the semester. The design of the performance assessment is suitable for checking the achievement of the study objectives.
- Feedback is adapted during and at the end of the course and given in various forms depending on the number and type of students.
Prize money
The prize money of 3000 euros each is not designated for a specific purpose and goes to the winners (if there is more than one teacher, the price is divided aliquot among them).
Nomination
All courses held at the University of Vienna in the summer semester 2024 and winter semester 2024/25 can be nominated.
The following persons are authorised to nominate candidates:
- Students' representatives
- Groups of at least 3 students
- Teachers nominating their own course (self-nomination)
- Teachers who nominate colleagues
Submission and nomination deadline
The nomination deadline for both self-nominations and third-party nominations is 16 April 2025 - please submit via the online form.
Jury
Jury SPL 28 (Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Meteorology)
- Franz Kerschbaum, Vice-Dean Teaching FGGA
- Daniel Görgl, Head StudiesServiceCenter GGA
- Manfred Dorninger, SPL 28
- Three students nominated by the students' representatives
Focus SPL 28: "Teaching - Examination - Feedback: well coordinated" (for criteria see above)
Jury SPL 29 (Geography)
- Franz Kerschbaum, Vice-Dean Teaching FGGA
- Daniel Görgl, Head StudiesServiceCenter GGA
- Robert Peticzka, SPL 29
- Three students nominated by the students' representatives
Focus SPL29: "Guiding and supporting self-study" (see criteria above)
Award ceremony
The two winners of SPL28 and SPL29 selected by the respective jury in the course of May will each receive a prize of 3000 euros (if there is more than one teacher, the price is divided aliquot among them). The award ceremony will take place on 12 June 2025 as part of the Faculty Talk & BBQ in UZA II. "They will have the opportunity to present their valuable ideas and experiences across the faculty and university," says Vice-Dean Franz Kerschbaum.